David Samson steps down as Chair of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

 David Samson, chairman of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.   (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

David Samson, chairman of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has resigned amid continuing questions about lane closures near the George Washington Bridge and whether he has used his position to boost his law firm.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced David Samson’s resignation Friday. Samson is a former state attorney general.

Christie appointed him to run the board of the bistate agency that runs several New York City-area transportation facilities, including airports and bridges and tunnels.

People close to Christie engineered four days of gridlock in September. It was intended – for reasons that remain unclear – as retaliation against a mayor.

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal